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Hunt for Vengeance: Part II
The two Khajiit watched as Elvali left to meet with her contact. "You put too much trust in her." J'Dhannar pointed out. "This one only trusts her as far as Khajiit's claws can reach her." Jo'Khar replied. He turned around and faced the Market District of the city. "Come, let's go to the inn." Jo'Khar expected to get more looks from people as they walked through Riften but they were pretty much ignored. It must not be so strange to see Khajiit walking around here in Riften. If this was any other city in Skyrim the people were not take their eyes off us. He thought. Though when they got too close to a citizen they would look at their hands, expecting them to be trying to get into their pockets. Guess the stereotype is prevalent here in the city of thieves. The two entered the Bee and Barb. While Jo'Khar went to the counter to get three rooms for their party, J'Dhannar sat at a table and ordered them both a drink. The old Khajiit set down his Stahlrim Battleaxe beside him on the table. The weapon was pretty rare to find in mainland Tamriel, as only the Skaal knew how to make them and they rarely traded with outsiders. So it caught the eye of many in the inn. One particular patron that found an interest in the axe was an Argonian dressed in merchant's garbs. Only a few seconds after J'Dhannar's drink was placed on his table, the Argonian sat down across from him. "My friend, it is a please to meet you. I am Tanan, a travelling merchant." The Argonian said. J'Dhannar drank his ale. "Greetings. What is it that you wish, Tanan?" He asked calmly. Tanan grinned. "My friend, that is a great looking weapon you have there. Perchance, is it on sale? I can take it of your hands, just name your price." This fool probably doesn't know just how much Stahlrim is worth to some people. If I play my cards right I can make a small fortune. The priest scowled. "It is not for sale." "Everything is for sale for the right price, my friend." Tanan tried to butter up the Khajiit. J'Dhannar scowled, he had no intention of selling such an important weapon to him, one that had belonged to his now deceased best friend. Before J'Dhannar could reply, Jo'Khar walked over to the table. "This one has gotten us three rooms, it is better that way." "That voice...oh no." The Argonian said as he slowly looked up at Jo'Khar. The mage recognized Tanan and immediately tried to grab him with his claws, but Tanan was able to slip away from the table. "What is the matter, Jo'Khar?" The priest asked. Tanan ran out of the Bee and Barb. "After him!" Jo'Khar said. The two Khajiit ran out of the inn and followed the Argonian through the Market District of the city, finally catching up to him in an alley after chasing him for quite a while. "Jo'Khar, my friend. It is good to see you, it's been a long time." Tanan said. "Your flattery will do you no good, friend." Jo'Khar replied. "You left Jo'Khar in Solitude alone after this one went through all that trouble to escape Hammerfell with you." "And I really appreciate it, but I had business I needed to get back to." The Argonian interjected. Jo'Khar was angry at the Argonian for ditching him. "No, you owe Khajiit. You said you would help him, and you will." "I'm sorry but I am going to have to pass." Tanan replied. "That was not a request, it was an order." Jo'Khar stated. "Order? I don't take orders from anyone, I am my own man." He laughed. J'Dhannar drew his Battleaxe. "Clearly you have history with my fellow Khajiit, and not a happy one. This one would listen to him if he was you." "This is kidnapping!" Tanan pointed out. "No, this is merely you doing what you said you would in the first place." Jo'Khar retorted. "What is going on here?" Elvali asked, joining the three of them in the alley. "This one has ran into an old friend, whom has gladly agreed to help us take down Morgan." Jo'Khar replied. "He doesn't look so willing." She pointed out. Jo'Khar dismissed her claim. "He only needs time. Come Tanan, you are a part of this group now. Whether you like it or not." Not seeing any way out of there that didn't end in him getting attacked, Tanan sighed and followed. "Whatever you say, friend." Elvali told them what she learned from her contact. Before she had met with Etienne she had known about that base, as she knows about pretty much all their bases all over northern Tamriel, but she wasn't going to share that with Jo'Khar. "So, are you planning on heading to there?" She asked the Khajiit. "Of course. Even if Morgan is not there, it is our best lead." Jo'Khar replied. "With all four of us, we should be able to take them." J'Dhannar nodded with confidence. "You will have this one's battleaxe at your side, friend." The Khajiit and his party left Riften and headed south to the ruined fort. The whole time Tanan was looking for a chance to escape, he had no intention on getting caught in Jo'Khar's revenge quest. However it was impossible with the Khajiit keeping such a close eye on him. "There, Darklight Tower." Elvali pointed to the ruined fort. The Blackhearts had used that tower as their base in the Rift, but it wasn't as active as other locations since it stood out more than the reclusive caves they usually operated from. "Keep your eyes open." Jo'Khar ordered. "We wouldn't want the Nightblades to get the drop on us." He readied his spells. Elvali drew her dagger while the other Khajiit gripped his battleaxe. Tanan took out his bow and loaded an arrow. He thought about shooting one of them in the back, but decided against it because he wouldn't be able to escape from the others. The group approached the tower, trying to mask their presence. However, the Dunmer knew that the Blackhearts inside had already realized they were coming. Jo'Khar had them all sneak in. The inside of the tower looked decrepit, abandoned. The Khajiit wondered if Elvali had betrayed him, then he noticed something a spot on the ground that was not covered in dust. "That was where we stashed our supplies." The Dunmer whispered to Jo'Khar. "A caravan must already have come by and gotten them." Upstairs they heard footsteps. "So, they are here." J'Dhannar pointed out. The mage nodded and stood up. "I assume that they also know we are here. So there is no point is sneaking. Get ready for the fight, we are going all the way to the top of this tower." As he said that, a Nightblade lunged out of the shadows and attacked the group. The Nightblade lunged directly at Jo'Khar. He would have landed at hit if it had not been for J'Dhannar who saw him coming and hacked at him with Icestone. The priest pulled his battleaxe from the dead Nightblade's corpse. "Seems they do know we are here." The group started up the tower, on their guard now that the Blackhearts were attacking them. They had to fight their way through numerous Nightblades as they climbed the stairs. They just kept coming out of the shadows and attacking them. Jo'Khar had noticed that they even attacked Elvali, which began to put his mind at ease. Maybe she is on my side. He began to wonder. It had been the first time since he had captured her near Helgen that he began thinking of her as an actual ally. Tanan was trying his best to stay out of the fights, as he didn't want to put his life on the line for the Khajiit. In fact he was very angry with Jo'Khar for draging him into this fight. He just stayed back and shot at the enemies with his Orcish bow. Eventually the group made it to the last floor of the tower. They had to fight through numerous Nightblades and were a tad exhausted. J'Dhannar had received been stabbed in his left arm and was having trouble holding Iceblade. The Argonian was pretty unscathed as he had let the others take the blunt of the attacks for him. Jo'Khar thought about replenishing his strength by drinking some blood before they continued into the final room, but decided against it. He hadn't told the priest about his condition and he feared how he'd react. Out of the whole group J'Dhannar was the one he most trusted. So when he opened the door he was already pretty spent from the previous encounters. The room at the very top of the tower was large and circular. There were a few crates with the smuggler's supplies stacked nearby and a table with a map of northern Tamriel and a stack of papers. At the table were three individuals. All of them wearing the same leather armor as Elvali. One of them, a Nord, looked up from the map. "So, the Khajiit finally shows his face." His voice was harsh and aggressive. Like that of someone with the urge to kill. "Who are you?" Jo'Khar asked, as obviously none of them were Morgan. He still remembered that bastard's face from when he killed his family and infected him with vampirism. "Where you expecting someone else? Oh, of course you were. You've been hunting for our boss for years now. You've gotten very aggressive these past few weeks though. We weren't expecting that. Really caused our organization quite a problem." The man said. He looked over at Elvali. "So, the rumors are true. You've betrayed Morgan." "I have. I'll help Jo'Khar get justice for his family. I owe him that much." Elvali replied, trying to sound sincere. The Nord laughed. "I will bring Morgan your head, and take over as his second-in-command." In seconds he transformed into his Vampire Lord Form. Tanan began to slowly move back, trying to get out of the room. J'Dhannar muttered. "Gods have mercy, he is a vampire!" "I am much more." The man replied, turning into a cloud of bats. He appeared behind the Argonian, grabbing him. "Hey! Get off me your bastard!" Tanan demanded. J'Dhannar tried to swing at the vampire but he was too far away and too late. The man dug his teeth into the Argonian's neck, cutting through the scales with ease. Tanan began choking on his own blood and died agonizingly in a matter of seconds. His body went limp in the vampire's grasp. Navigation Category:Stories